The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

"boom!"

These words were like an antimatter bomb exploding in Lorian's head!

Lorian's expression froze completely at that moment.

His eyes, which had just regained some of their sparkle, widened in surprise, his face filled with astonishment.

"You...you all..."

Several seconds passed before Lorian, as if he'd seen a ghost, finally managed to stammer out, "How did you know?!"

Evelyn shook her head helplessly at Lorian's shocked expression.

"Mr. Lorian, you don't need to look at us like that."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, her tone full of nonchalance: "Although our Ark Merchant Guild has many methods, we are not so bored as to forcibly search your memories while you are unconscious."

"Besides, it wasn't that we used any shady methods to force you to talk, but rather that you yourself... were in a deep coma, and kept muttering those words."

"Your will to live is so strong that even when your consciousness is fading, you still managed to utter these words."

"Everyone on the bridge heard it clearly at the time, and now you're asking us how we know? Don't you think that's a bit ridiculous?"

Upon hearing this explanation, Lorian's expression froze again, and a sense of embarrassment welled up inside him.

He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't find a single word to refute it.

Indeed, before being swallowed by that terrifying power, all he could think about was sending out this intelligence that was enough to overturn the starry sea.

Even in death, the subconscious mind is still struggling frantically.

He never expected that this obsession would become a tool for others to manipulate him.

Seeing that Lorian remained silent, Evelyn stepped forward and said again, "Mr. Lorian, you are a smart man and should understand that my desire to know the specific details of this information is not out of any base curiosity."

"I am a businessman."

"For the Ark Merchant Guild, the phrase 'Resurrection of the Old Gods' signifies the complete collapse of the Starship Route, the destruction of countless trading posts, and an immeasurable astronomical loss."

She paused, then made no attempt to hide her ambition, stating bluntly, "As a Starsea Ranger, you should have heard how brutal the competition is within the Furming family."

"If I could obtain this intelligence in advance, the merchant group could take precautions and make arrangements to avoid those star regions that are about to be reduced to scorched earth."

"This will be of real benefit to my bid for the position of the next head of the family."

Evelyn's honesty, ironically, inspired a strange sense of respect in Lorian.

There were no high-sounding excuses, no hypocritical righteousness about the star system.

It's nothing but a naked exchange of interests.

This is very much in line with the Ark Merchant Guild's consistent style.

"I see."

Lorian nodded, glanced down at the slowly healing new skin on his body, and shook his head with a wry smile.

Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to accept it.

Moreover, given his current condition, he wouldn't be able to get back to Ashmerkrin in a short time without the help of the Golden Olive.

If we can hurry back and send the message, using this intelligence as a bargaining chip to reveal it to the Ark Merchant Guild, it wouldn't be a problem.

After all, the merchant guild possessed immense power, and if they had made preparations for defense in advance, they might have been able to save more innocent lives in the event of a future catastrophe.

"make a deal."

Lorian raised his head: "I can tell you everything I know as payment for saving my life and sending me back to Ashmerkton. But..."

Lorian then changed the subject, his tone becoming serious: "I hope Miss Evelyn can assure me that before we formally report the intelligence to the Star Council and take a comprehensive response, this news will not be widely spread on the black market or through other channels."

"Otherwise, if unnecessary panic is caused, the order of the Star Sea will collapse before the Old Gods truly descend!"

You can rest assured about this.

Evelyn nodded, satisfied with the answer: "I'm more afraid of the Star Sea losing its order than you are, after all, panic is not good for our business."

"Our purpose is solely to protect the interests of the merchant guild itself, and we will not utter a single unnecessary word."

Both sides reached a consensus, and the atmosphere in the ward eased slightly.

Lorian leaned back against the soft headboard, the terrifying scene that had sent shivers down his spine replaying in his mind.

Even just thinking about it makes his breathing quicken involuntarily.

"Based on my observations in that border star system... the one who has revived is [Lord of Dimensions] Zogra."

The moment the name was uttered, it felt as if a chilling wind suddenly swept through the bridge.

Mina, standing to the side, shrank back in fright, while Puxi, hidden in the shadows, changed his expression, clearly feeling a chill even from this top expert.

Lorian continued without pausing, "I was conducting a routine interstellar patrol when I unexpectedly detected a terrifying energy fluctuation that far exceeded our current understanding."

"As I approached, I saw... Zogra's projection, which actually went so far as to tear apart the dimensional barrier and forcibly descend near the coordinates of the Star Sea Rift."

"Although it is only a projection, I will never mistake that aura of annihilation from the past!"

As Lorian recounted everything he had seen, everyone present turned extremely pale.

Evelyn's brows were furrowed, and her golden eyes flashed with complex thoughts.

"Zogra..."

Evelyn murmured the name softly. As a businesswoman, she naturally knew what the name represented.

It was a monster that was shattered into pieces during Ragnarok, yet still terrified countless living beings.

His power, which had been dormant for several eras, was definitely not acting on a whim once it began to stir.

At this moment, Puxi's voice came from the shadows: "Young lady, Zogra, as an Old God, although he is only a projection, the price he has to pay to cross the dimensional barrier is extremely high."

"He's not going to make a big fuss over a remote coordinate that has no value."

"That's right."

Lorian picked up the conversation, his expression extremely solemn: "There's probably only one reason why an ancient god's projection would descend at all costs."

At this point, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping around: "The place where the Rift Abyss is located is very likely... to contain traces of the authority of the Ancient Lords, or the whereabouts of fragments!"

This deduction sent a jolt through everyone present.

Lord of the Old Ones...

In the ancient times, he was the true ruler of all the stars in the universe!

That ultimate being that once reigned above all the old gods, symbolizing absolute calamity and destruction.

If the resurgence of the Old Gods is a catastrophe in the cosmos, then the reappearance of the authority of the ancient rulers is a doomsday judgment capable of completely restarting the entire known universe.